Chapter One

The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. Rev. 21:18


On the bridge of the starship Glisteren, Commander Victor Ferguson stood at the observation deck and regarded a tiny speck as it grew into a small vessel. “ Looking out the window” was a habit, a childhood remnant that had stuck with Vic throughout his career, surviving the mechanical reprogramming of the core and the numbing tribulations that any warrior of his age and rank inevitably had endured. He recognized the approaching ship as an early model Alliance transport. Commander Ferguson whirled on his crew, “Get her in,” her roared as flashes from the battle behind them were refracted in the golden cockpit glass of the transport. “Fine men are dying to buy us this moment!”

It wasn’t his job to question orders but Colonel Brevin Xant could not help wondering as he raced to the docking bay to oversee the securing of the target. What could be so important about an antique Alliance bucket that this much of the fleet would be put at risk to capture it? Even more puzzling was the way the Resurgence fought in a desperate frenzy to get to the transport first.

“She’s in colonel,” barked the docking sergeant as Xant reached the bay.

“Go,” Xant said in his secure com to Commander Ferguson.

Back on the bridge Vic tried to ignore the hairs standing on his neck as he gave his hurried orders to the fleet. “Target acquired…jump!” An explosion rocked the Glisteren and sent half the bridge crew sprawling.

“Resurgence fighter!” some one yelled from the floor. “Its blocking our jump.”

“The fleet is safely away, turn and fire,” Vic ordered calmly. In less than a second one of the Glisteren’s massive energy cannons sent the enemy ship into oblivion. Its obviously suicidal mission over. “Now jump.”

Normally every ship in the fleet would jump from a fight back to Alliance space. Nothing, however, was normal about this mission Vic thought as his starship came out of its jump directly on the other side of Jasper’s Star from the battle. It was unlikely that any Resurgence forces would expect such a maneuver, but it was definitely another odd risk his orders ask him to take. Now outnumbered literally a thousand to one even the dominant firepower of the Glisteren would not help them if detected. It was time to see what all this was about.

Vic had never before seen the look on his old friend's face as the colonel entered the bridge and saluted. “At ease Brevin,” he said becoming more uneasy with Xant’s expression. “What have we got?”

“Bring him in,” Xant said softly. A pair of guards led a boy of about eleven, clad in only a plain robe, before the commander.

“Who are you,” asked Vic in astonishment.

The boy turned to the observation window and stared at the sparkling wonder from which he came. “Jasper,” he replied. “My name is Jasper.”

Introduction: Disadvantage Peace

For just over 3 million Earth years The Alliance stood as the only governing body in the universe. Nearly every sentient race seated a delegate on the High Council of the Alliance (HCA). Peace ruled for so much of this period that its alternative had nearly ceased to exist. Until…

In the year HCA 3,000,097 An enormous fleet of warships appeared from another universe. This armada was controlled by a previously unknown race called the Breggand. Without warning or any attempt at negotiation they began attacking and enslaving every inhabited planet they came in contact with. The Breggand or Bregs only agenda was total conquest.

2 Million years of peace had made The Alliance totally defenseless to any attack. Out of a community of nearly two thousand planets none had a ship with a working weapon or even the plans to build one. The HCA held a conference and summoned its top scientists. They soon realized that although they could create any number of weapons not one being in the Alliance would know how to fight. War was a long forgotten concept that had been intentionally erased - literally bred out of each sentient species.

Lalis Murve was a Nagostan delegate who had previously worked as a scout on a research team looking for new sentient races to bring into The Alliance. He suggested the revolutionary idea of contacting a planet called Earth. Humans, the dominant beings of Earth were considered “almost” ready for Alliance initiation. The holdup was that Humans were constantly at war. Such a species was usually allowed to either wipe itself out or rise above its violent nature. Lalis Murve proposed that Earth should be brought into the Alliance and asked to serve as warriors. Nobody on the HCA thought it was a good idea. But because it was the only idea the plan was set into action.